Into the Home Stretch

04/11/2011
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Into the Home Stretch

This weekend included a BIG brick training, a 24-mile bike ride and 4-mile run at the notoriously windy Hecksher State Park. I’ve been working up to this with shorter bricks for the last month. Early Saturday morning, when we ventured out for training, the wind was tolerable,  a first since we started training there. Cold, but not as windy. There was fog still in the park at 6:45, the first time I think I’ve ever been happy to see fog because it meant the winds weren’t whipping the way they usually are on this bike course. Recent advice from my triathlete cousin included not starting out too fast on the run coming off the bike. He need not worry there. Getting off the bike after 24 miles (my longest ride to date) on Saturday, I could barely lift my leg over the seat, much less run or even walk....

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‘It’s ok to show up and suck until you can show up and shine’

04/04/2011
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‘It’s ok to show up and suck until you can show up and shine’

The other day, my daughter sent me a link to this article: How Yoga Changed My Competitive Life Forever. In short, Deborah Dunham (the author), a highly competitive, perfectionist triathlete decided to give yoga a go, only to realize it’s not as easy as it looks. Does it look easy? I didn’t think so. For any one of us attempting something we haven’t done before or don’t do as well as we’d like, it’s a must-read. The take-away for me is that it’s ok to keep trying, even if we don’t do it so perfectly the first time or the 10th time or the 100th time. Being a perfectionist myself, this is a tough lesson to grasp. I started doing Pilates with the daughter a couple of months ago, in addition to my triathlon training. I knew I needed to strengthen my core, and Pilates is all about strengthening...

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Look Ma, No iPod!

03/28/2011
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Look Ma, No iPod!

When I run, I like my music. I rely on it to get me through the dips, to drown out the negative voices that tell me to walk all the time and to cover up the sound of my breathing when it gets ragged. The iPod is a tool that makes getting out the door to go running just a little easier. Because as much as I enjoy running once I’m out there doing it (or maybe more accurately when I’m done), getting out the door is still a challenge. It’s much easier to stay cozy on the couch, especially when it’s cold and windy. Unfortunately, USAT doesn’t allow iPods in any leg of a triathlon. So…. if I’m going to have some fun in this race, I have to get used to running without my  iPod. Today I did. I went out for my run and left my...

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Logging The Miles

03/22/2011
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Sunday was my best workout day yet. And with 6 weeks to go, I’m confident that I’ll be able to cross the finish line at St. Anthony’s on May 1st. I may need a wheel chair to get to the after-party, but I’ll cross the finish line! I started my day with my planned workout, a 6.2-mile run. I walked a .2 warm-up and started running. I didn’t stop running until I’d completed my second loop of my 3.2-mile course, so my total run was 6.2 miles, no walking. The run took me 1:14 minutes, just under a 12-minute mile pace. For me, that pace worked perfectly for that distance. I felt strong until about 5.4 miles and then the legs really didn’t want to work anymore. But there wasn’t much more to go and I knew I had it. It still amazes me how much of running success...

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My 10-Day Pilates Challenge

03/16/2011
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My 10-Day Pilates Challenge

I’ve been doing the running, the biking, the swimming to get ready for my upcoming triathlon on May 1. And I’m making progress… slowly. While my legs and arms have gotten more toned, my core (my midsection, my belly, my abs, my problem area) has retained the jiggle. I know that until I drop this last 20-25 pounds, that’s not going to go away. I also knew that I needed to be working that area a little more regularly, not just for the aesthetic benefit, but to make the running, biking and swimming better too. So I started doing Pilates. My daughter, a Pilates advocate from a weight-loss adventure a few years ago, pulled her dvds back out about two months ago as she restarted her fitness regimen.  She’s doing great, and Pilates is reshaping her lithe frame. When she started, I started with her, but my commitment to...

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Two Months To St. Anthony’s

03/01/2011
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Two Months To St. Anthony’s

It’s official. Today is March 1. I have two months before I have to swim .93 miles, bike 23 miles and run 6.2 miles, all in the same day. Eight and a half weeks. I have to admit, I’m a little terrified. I can do these things by themselves at this point. I’m testing the 6-mile run tomorrow, but I’ve been getting in 5-mile runs when the weather cooperates, so I’m pretty sure the extra mile won’t kill me. It’s getting in the 6.2 miles after a 23-mile bike ride that freaks me out a little. This morning I rode for an hour on the trainer. And I rode hard. I’m pretty sure I’m not close to covering 23 miles in an hour; I’m thinking more like an hour and a half, and getting off the bike after an hour? Well, let’s just say if I could sit in...

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Still Here

02/24/2011
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I’ve been neglecting my blog. Sorry. I’ve been immersed in work in what happens to be our busiest time of year. It’s almost over. And then I have lots to write about. Right now, there just isn’t time. I’m still training. I’m still getting ready for St. Anthony’s in May.  I’m still here. And once the dust settles after tomorrow, I’ll be back.

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